[...] Text from The Game
"..." Someone speaking.
'...' Someone thinking, (generally Ichika talking telepathically to SIS)
"..." SIS talking telepathically to Ichika.
Casino Royale
[You have awoken well rested. All positive stats have been fully restored.]
[...]
[Happy Birthday Player One!]
[Gifts: ?, ?, and ?!]
After blinking away the tiredness from his eyes, Ichika read through the text with increasing interest. Checking his stats to look at his wallet, he had his priorities after all.
POP.
POP.
POP.
His hand jerked back slightly when the sound of party poppers broke the silence in his room as he was covered in confetti. As soon as the last shred of colored paper landed on the covers of his bed, three wrapped boxes of varying size appeared atop the desk beside his bed. Each gift was pristinely wrapped in gift paper, with perfect creases and seamless folds. A neat bow of corresponding size to the box, was placed in the center of each present.
Hopping out of bed, not taking the time to put clothes on nor bothering to go into his Wardrobe, he rushed to his desk with his hands hovering over the gifts.
"Which one first, Ichika?"
"...be my guest."
"...the largest one, then….people who wait "best for last" are scrubs."
"I wait best for last." Ichika defended.
"Just open it."
Never one to be wasteful, Ichika began slowly peeling off the tape of the wrapping paper, as streams of sunlight began to peek through the blinds of his bedroom.
"..."
"...*sigh*..."
"..."
"Oh, for fucks sake. Just open the damn thing!"
'Humph.' He scoffed inwardly, but yielded and began tearing the wrapping paper in handfuls, the second the torn shreds of paper landed to the floor, they turned into pixels, then vanished. He looked around, having not even noticed that all of the confetti had vanished as well.
Turning his attention back to the now open box, he looked in and could see a small birthday cake along with a piece of paper tucked inside the box next to the cake.
Slipping it out, he could tell it was a laminated piece of paper. Reading over the words it was clearly the recipe for the cake that was in the box, not that he needed to know how to bake a cake, but he still put the recipe into his inventory.
Putting aside the cake for now, Ichika moved onto the third largest box, tearing its wrapping to shred in seconds breaking the sealed box with his hands, he found it empty.
"What?" He said audibly after baking away and staring at the box with a raised eyebrow.
"Give it a second."
A text box appeared hovering above the open box.
[50,000 ¥/473.90 $]
The numbers on the text box skyrocketed downwards, while his wallet stat did the opposite. Once it hit zero, it vanished. He was finally getting a decent amount of money back in his wallet.
[69,420 ¥ / 657.29 $]
To eager to hesitate, he tore off the wrapping paper on the second present, and opened the box.
[10 Ability Points]
The money was nice, but that was probably more useful. His vision landed on the smallest box.
It couldn't have been larger than a big loaf of generally small bread.
Only needing a few seconds to open the box, he was for a third time faced with emptiness. After backing up and waiting for the text to appear, he was surprised with the gift.
[2x Base Luck (for the day)]
"Oh I'm going to abuse the hell out of this."
WRrrrrrrrrr..rrr..rrr..rrt.
The sound of a spinning roulette wheel to his left could be heard as he walked by. He was surprised it was able to break the unending sound of chatter and gameplay that filled The Casino.
"What would you like to drink, sir?" A waiter asked a man who sat at a bar, whose glass had run dry.
"I'll have the Champagne, please." The man replied, as he tilted his head towards a woman that sat next to him. "Two glasses, and-"
The man continued, but Ichika had already walked passed, and the couple's conversation was replaced with the sounds of chattering.
He continued to pass dozens upon dozens of NPCs all of which were playing various games.
Roulette wheels. Blackjack. Baccarat. Poker. Poker. Poker. Cards. Cards. Cards. Anywhere and everywhere he looked was a game to gamble at, and he was enjoying every second.
Finding a relatively quiet table with less than two handfuls of NPCs, he approached. As one of the NPCs automatically vanished, to which he sat down on the high stool, making his legs hover a good foot above the floor. Man, if one good thing would come from whenever he hit puberty, he hoped it would be a lot of height. That and- "The buy in is one-thousand Yen, sir."
"Huh? Oh." He looked at the center of the table, on which had already formed a pile of chips, meaning if he wanted to play he had to match his portion. "Ah, yeah. Sure."
Summoning a thousand Yen from his wallet, which immediately turned into one individual "1000 ¥" chip, he tossed it into the middle, as it clanked against the pile of chips.
Five Card Stud.
It wasn't a typically popular game, especially in casinos. Mainly because it was all luck, with no strategy. You got the cards you were dealt, one round of betting, and that's it. No tricking your opponents, no counting cards, no wilds.
Pure blooded luck.
The perfect game for him to spend time playing with double luck.
He took a good look around the half-circle shaped table. He was up against nine NPCs, making him the tenth player. The dealer stood in the middle of the circle and began dealing out five cards, one at a time, to each player.
Many of the NPCs took sips from drinks as they looked at their cards, sitting the sweating glasses back into cup holders built into the table. He didn't have a drink, which would only favor him in betting.
He turned the edges of the five cards he had been dealt upward just enough for him to see.
A King, a Ten, and three Sevens.
Honestly, he had expected more. Maybe it was because even though he had twice the luck, his base luck was still just…..meh. He would have to find, or purchase, a way to increase his base luck. Maybe some kind of enchanted item or reward from a quest. Regardless, that would have to wait.
The first bet was cast by a lower level NPC, which immediately caused the following two NPCs to fold.
It was now his turn to raise, call, or fold.
He raised by a thousand. The bet was now two-thousand Yen a piece. Not much considering how much the ante was.
All three NPCs next to Ichika refused to match, folding. Five NPCs were out, it was him and three others.
The following two NPCs both doubled the bet. Both Ichika and the NPC who had originally bet matched the raise.
The right most NPC, who had been the last to raise, showed his cards first per game rules.
Two pairs, in Queens and Tens. In all honestly a good hand for not being able to exchange cards.
He, along with the other two NPCs, flipped over their cards.
One had a single pair in Aces. The other had a lower two of a kind.
Ichika grinned as the poker chips at the center of the table were converted into Yen, all of which flew into his wallet.
[ 102,420 ¥ / 969.75 $]
The NPCs that surrounded him looked exceptionally annoyed.
'This is going to be fun…' Oh how he loved pissing people off.
The next area he stopped at wasn't exactly a game. It was the prize wheel, the one he had spun the first time he visited the casino, and every once in a while to use the free spin he got every month.
Ichika hadn't been to the casino for a good while, and had three free spins he could use.
A scantily dressed show woman was standing next to the wheel, with her hands outstretched like someone had just guessed a correct letter on Wheel of Fortune and she was about to reveal it.
'How….pointless…' Was his blatant thought on the matter as he walked up to the other side of the vertical wheel, eyeing the NPC in a "what are you doing" way, before he spun it with all his strength.
TTRTRTRTRTTRTRt...trtr...tr…tr...click.
[Property - Single Bedroom Apartment]
He had won a small property, if you could call it that. Technically it was a small apartment, no actual land, but he supposed it still counted.
A screen below the name of the prize was rotating images, reminiscent of a Microsoft PowerPoint, but there were only three images. A small bedroom, medium living room attached to a miniature kitchen, and a single bathroom. It was…. humble... it didn't look all that bad to live in, not that he needed a place to stay.
A giant hovering number above the wheel ticked down from three to two, meaning he used up one of his free spins. Honestly if the price for a spin wasn't so ludicrous, he would actually buy one instead of waiting for freebies.
Once more, he grabbed the side of the wheel, and gave it a hard whirl.
TTTRTRTRTTRTRtrtrtrtrtr...trtrtr...click.
Nothing. It was disappointing that even with double luck he ended up with nothing, but the chances of the wheel landing on nothing was so high, he just had to accept he would get it sometimes.
TTTRTRTRTRTRtrtrtrtr...tr...trtr...click.
Poof.
[ITEM OBTAINED]
[Omamori - Prayer of Luck]
[Effect: Grants a 10% increase to base luck when worn.]
[Description: An Omamori. A prayer or sacred inscription is usually written on paper or wood, then put inside a small colorful pouch, the pouch has a string running through it so it can be worn as a necklace. This particular Omamori is a prayer of luck, and instead of being inside a pouch, is carved into a small stone amulet.]
Ichika slowly ran his thumb over the engraved stone. It felt like it was radiating positive energy. Definitely magic, or the closest item he had found in The Game to magic. That excited him, after all his time in The Game, he still hadn't been able to unlock any magical skills or weapons that would use his MP. This didn't either, but it looked like a step in the right direction.
Opening the necklace part of the Omamori, which was a small link of metal chains instead of a string, he slipped it around his neck.
His fingers tingled as he felt a small shock of energy, almost like a static shock from a public parks' slide. He was also fairly sure there was a faint glow that surrounded his body for the most miniscule amount of time, before fading into nothingness.
"Careful." He didn't even jump at having her voice suddenly appear in his head. "Your luck is low enough that a ten percent increase doesn't matter that much, but if it gets higher and you always keep that thing on, then one day you or someone else takes it off…"
'The ten percent boost immediately goes away, and suddenly my luck is back to base. Anything I could normally get away with might end in catastrophe, yeah...positives and negatives. I'll just try not to get cocky, and to be sure to keep it on during fights...'
+2 WIS has been added for making a wise decision that will affect your future.
'...what to do now…'
How he ended up here was beyond him.
The casino was hectic but this was another level entirely.
NPC Waitresses and waiters dashed around, doing their best to keep up with NPCs. Carrying platters of mouth watering food and glasses of what was almost always alcohol.
Not all of the NPCs were human, far from it, most of them were anything but. Ugly drunk Dwarfs (which had been kind to him), beautiful Elves (who had mostly been stuck up cucks), a few flying Fairies (he tried to touch one and it bit him), and on and on and on. A bar ripped straight from Middle Earth.
It felt like he was in the start of a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. He couldn't tell if he was the one that was supposed to approach the shadowy figure in the corner of the Tavern, or if he was the shadowy figure. If anything he knew he wasn't going to party with the half-orc (don't ask, he didn't want to talk about it).
[STATUS REPLACE]
[Buzzed = Intoxicated]
[Effect: 15% decrease to AGI, INT, and WIS. 5% increase to STR and END.]
[Ailment: Get blood alcohol level below .03 to decrease status to "Buzzed".]
Uwh. "Mmmm…" Ichika blinked slowly. Was it just him or was everything moving so….liquidy?
"You….eh…..you are right, SIS. This….. uh…..hmmm…." Ichika was talking aloud very slowly so as not to slur his words.
"Three drinks and you are gone. Not horrible for your first time getting wasted. Luckily it's in the Tavern so you don't have to worry about danger from the real world…"
"I'M TALKIN'...don't...*hiccup*... don't ah…*hiccup*..eh, I'm tired."
"Reserve a room at The Inn. Chifuyu would kill you if you popped into existence at home, piss drunk."
"YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHATTA DO!…...who...*hiccup*...who you think….are…"
"There comes moments where I question the authority I have been given."
"Imma get anoth….ah…..anoth...ink…*hiccup*."
"NO. Nonononono. That is a bad idea."
"Hey pretty lady." Ichika stood up from the chair he was sitting at and gestured to a waitress that was walking along the table he sat.
"Yes, sir?" She answered, turning and giving him her full attention.
"Ah…..*hiccup*...I…..for*hiccup*got." He harshly sat back down in his seat. The waitress politely nodded and continued walking around the tavern, serving the other customers.
"...this night is going to be….something."
Do you know the perfect answer to the question of "How" is? More specifically in the context of how someone has improved so quickly in something? Well, Chifuyu didn't know. She had expected Ichika would just tell her he had been working hard or something. For a time he had, but she had continued to push for a real answer the more she saw he was changing.
She had noticed his drastic changes. Now, it was possible that some of his change could be attributed to the fact that she didn't see him very often, therefore it would make sense for him to change slightly within those few gaps of time. It could also be attributed to the fact that he was nearly in his teenage years, a time of change for everyone. However, this was not the case. Ichika was changing radically, both physically and mentally.
Chifuyu found herself relating to and knowing how to communicate with him less and less. This meant that she visited home less to see him which would only feed the cycle. She knew this, and tried to stop it by confronting Ichika.
She had made it clear she wanted a real answer as to how he was changing.
Apparently, the perfect answer to "How" is "Who"?
Instead of crumbling to her glare and answering honestly he had stood his ground and posed the question of who their parents were.
Who were their parents? A question her brother had seemingly posed to her every time they saw each other and one she never answered. She was forced to drop her questioning of Ichika as she also refused to answer his question.
This left her in a delicate situation. The cycle continued and Chifuyu couldn't stop it. She was forced to watch as she knew Ichika less and less.
They were still friendly with each other. The house was always spotless when she came home and his grades had skyrocketed. He wasn't changing to resent her, that much was clear, he just… was…. and because of her own inability to express herself, she felt like she was losing him.
As his twelfth birthday came and went, it only became more obvious. He didn't even ask if she was coming home to celebrate. Chifuyu knew her brother, she knew he cared if she was there. But he made it clear he was hanging out with friends. Maybe she was being paranoid. Maybe he just wanted to let her do her own thing. She knew he knew she got very little time off, maybe he was just trying to give her time to rest?
She didn't know. Man that pissed her off.
During the summer Ichika had taken a few assessments from his school which would test if he was prepared to skip a year in school. That surprised Chifuyu, which was not an easy thing to do.
She wasn't trying to be rude, but academics had never been his strong suit.
What surprised her even more were the results. He had passed with flying colors, which meant that besides a couple summer classes to provide him the little catch up he would need, he was now in eighth grade instead of seventh.
Should that have made her sad? It did.
An entire year of schooling he wouldn't have to attend. Another year closer to his graduation. Another year closer to getting a job and becoming his own person.
That was good. It was.
Another year closer to moving out.
There it was. Her heart weighed heavy with the thought.
He'd be all grown up and independent. Able to take care of himself and watch his own back. His own friends…..his own family.
No more need for big-sis Chifuyu.
Snap. Her head jerked upward as she was broken out of her thoughts, as broken bits of pencil clattered to the ground.
Only now did it occur to her that she was still in Classroom 1-1 of the Academy. It was late at night, and if the stacks of paper in front of her were any indication, she still had a lot of grading to do.
"Is everything alright?" Her TA, Maya Yamada, a fresh graduate from the Academy, asked her with a concerned face.
Right. She wasn't alone. Damn that student. She was always so quiet Chifuyu would forget she was even there. Why was she there anyway? Oh, right, helping grade the papers.
"Orimura-sensei, are you alright?" The girl spoke up again, as Chifuyu had remained silent, with glazed eyes.
Chifuyu's head jerked back towards her, drilling holes into her skull, making her flinch. Her eyes were filled with anger, pain, and maybe even a little pride, an odd mixture.
She was pissed, that much was obvious.
"I'M FINE." Chifuyu barked. She was…..in fact…..not fine.
"Are you-" "I'm fine, now get back to work." Chifuyu demanded, before walking towards the door.
"Where are-" "I need some fresh air." She threw the sliding door sideways, hard enough for it to crack as it slammed open.
Not even bothering to close the door behind her, she left, her echoing steps growing ever distant as she walked down the sprawling halls of the Academy.
END OF CHAPTER STATS
[Ichika Orimura]
Age: 12
Title(s):
The Gamer/Player One - [Grants: Gamer's Body & Mind]
Blade Wielder (Beginner) - [Grants: 1% increase to AGI and END.]
Gunslinger (Beginner) - [Grants: 1% increase to base AGI]
Kendo Team Captain - [Grants: 5% increase to base STR, END, and AGI]
Martial Artist (Beginner) - [Grants: 1% increase to base STR, END, and AGI]
Shogi Team Captain - [Grants: 5% increase to base INT and WIS]
Magical Items:
[Omamori - Prayer of Luck] - [Effect: 10% increase to LUK]
Level: 15
Exp: 4,135/10,000
HP: 745/745 (END *5)
RGN: 740/hour (AGI*5)
MP: 685/685 (INT *5)
RGN: 695/hour (WIS *5)
STR: 138 (*1.06) = 146
END: 139 (*1.07) = 149
AGI: 137 (*1.08) = 148
INT: 130 (*1.05) = 137
WIS: 132 (*1.05) = 139
LUK: 26 (*1.10) = 29
Points: 60
Money: [337,010 ¥ / 3190.93 $]
A/N:
Ichika is officially twelve years old, which means there is a little more than three years till canon, yay! Oh and the end of chapter stats are after Chifuyus bit, which is why I didn't add the effects from him being intoxicated, it's also why he has so much money (since he continued to win a lot at the casino). Also I only put items on the STATS page that affect the stats.
So there you have the reason for why Chifuyu is not curious as to how Ichika is changing, or rather why she is but cannot push him to spill his guts. The ol' Uno Reverse card.
I hope that was a satisfying answer. I think it makes the most sense as to what this version of Ichika would do.
This Ichika is a very "no fucks given" person who doesn't let anyone push him around. He knows his strengths and weaknesses and isn't going to turn the other cheek to people. You'll see much more of that once cannon starts.
And as for Tabane. She would notice his changes, but not give a shit. Don't get me wrong she is extremely interested, just not on how his improvements have come about. They became good friends early, before a decent amount of his improvement that has taken place, especially the more notable things. As far as she is concerned, she doesn't care about the source of his changes, she's more interested in him as a person.
This was the lowest point in Ichika and Chifuyu's relationship. Chifuyu realizes how little he expects from her at this point and is going to try to start spending more time with him.
Their relationship will begin getting better around his thirteenth birthday. I'm not promising some big argument or any one at that. I had wanted that but now it doesn't seem in character for either of them.
Personal Responses:
SolSparda369: I'm really just focusing on the story rn, but minigames might be a fun thing to add later. Thanks for the reminder to give Ichika presents on his birthday btw.
Forest1395101: I hoped I explained this well enough in DM.
Blaze2121: I would imagine Chifuyu would be very pissed.
Lighthopperhoop: I do too.
Hisan Iwo: Thanks m8.